Thank you so much for choosing The Very Secret Society
of Irregular Witches for your book club! It was an absolute joy to write Mika’s story, and I hope it brought you as much joy to read it. When I started writing this book, we were several months into the pandemic, and what I wanted more than anything was a brief respite from the real world. And so Nowhere House was born: an old, cozy, beautiful place by the sea where the people are quirky and loving, the air smells like salt and lavender, and the golden dust of magic is within reach. I’ve created and loved many fictional homes in my life, but Nowhere House is my favourite. It is, alas, not a real place, but the beauty of Nowhere House is it can be found anywhere there’s kindness and laughter. Mika’s story is a journey from a place of doubt and loneliness to one of acceptance and love. It’s full of romance and magic (with more than a cauldron’s worth of shenanigans, too!)—and it is, above all else, a story about family and the many weird, wonderful ways families can be found and made. So brew a cup of your favourite tea, serve yourself a generous helping of Ian’s oatmeal-raisin cookies, and settle in. I hope you’ll find lots to talk about!
What three words would you use to describe Mika as a character? What made her an engaging heroine? Prior to coming to Nowhere House, Mika lived a lifestyle that meant she never stayed in one place long. Why do you think she chose to live her life like that, and how do you think that changes over the course of the book? Mika and Jamie have very different personalities but find themselves drawn to each other. Why do you think that is? What parts of their personalities would complicate or complement each other in a relationship? After meeting his mother and brothers again, Jamie states that “some kinds of trauma can’t be revisited—and some need to be.” What do you think he means by this, and how does this impact Mika’s own journey in the novel? Edward and Primrose are both viewed as antagonists. How do you think they differ from each other, and how do these differences affect the way Mika deals with them? Did the plot twists in the book surprise you? Why or why not? If you had the opportunity to adapt the novel into a film or TV show, who would your ideal cast be?